Migos

Migos is a hip hop trio based in Atlanta, Georgia. The group consists of Quavo (born Quavious Marshall), Takeoff (born Kirshnik Ball) and Offset (born Kiari Cephus). Quavo is Takeoff's uncle and Offset is Quavo's cousin. The group are best known for their singles, including "Versace" (released in 2013), "Fight Night" (released in 2014) and "One Time" (released in 2015).

They are managed by Coach K, the former manager of Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane, and are frequently collaborating with producer Zaytoven.

History

2013: Rise to fame and Young Rich Niggas

In 2013, their single "Versace", which was produced by Zaytoven, went viral by peaking at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also inspired a fellow rapper Drake, to join the official remix on this song, would later perform the song at the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival. On June 13, Migos released their mixtape Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas), to critical acclaim. Brandon Soderberg of Spin gave it 8 out of 10 stars, commenting that it "is a super-cut of Dirty South vibes" and compared the three members to Gucci Mane, Soulja Boy and Future. On June 15, 2013, the group performed at rap radio station Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash. In October 2013, the group were featured in XXL's section Show & Prove.

Joe Budden

Joe Budden (born August 31, 1980) is an American rapper from Jersey City, New Jersey, who, in addition to being a solo artist, is a member of the American hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, alongside fellow rappers Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Crooked I.

His most commercially successful single is the 2003 hit song "Pump It Up", from his self-titled album, which contains production from Just Blaze. He was formerly signed to major record label Def Jam, but left for personal reasons and for them pushing back his album releases. After his splitting from Def Jam, he began recording and releasing mixtapes and albums on independent labels. He released No Love Lost (2013). His follow-up album "Some Love Lost" was released November 4, 2014. Most recently, he released "All Love Lost" on October 16, 2015. Budden also co-stars on the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop.

Life and career

Early life

Budden was born in Harlem, New York. but was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. Uninterested in school, he began abusing drugs. After an emotional confrontation with his mother, Budden willingly went into rehab on July 3, 1997. Budden began freestyling, first at his high school with acquaintances against whom he claims that he always won battles. He eventually made appearances on several New York mixtapes with the likes of DJ Clue, DJ Kayslay, and Cutmaster C.

TMZ

TMZ is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. The name TMZ stands for thirty-mile zone, the historic "studio zone" within a 30-mile (50 km) radius centered at the intersection of West Beverly Boulevard and North La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.

TMZ's managing editor is Harvey Levin, a lawyer-turned-journalist who was previously a legal expert for the Los Angeles television station KCBS-TV. The site claims that it does not pay for stories or interviews; however, Levin has admitted that TMZ does "sometimes pay sources for leads on stories". Levin has stated that "everything is researched and vetted for accuracy." A companion television series, TMZ on TV, debuted on September 10, 2007.

Development

Seven months prior to the official launch of TMZ, America Online (AOL) had hinted that it was planning to launch a Hollywood and entertainment-centric news site that would be produced in conjunction with Telepictures Productions and had shown interest in launching a website featuring a focus mainly on celebrities. At the time of the launch, AOL confirmed that the site would primarily feature and consist of Hollywood gossip, including interviews, photos and video footage of celebrities and information pertaining to industry news on movies, television shows, etc. The site was described as "an effort to further feed the current American obsession with celebrities". Mike Shields of MediaWeek.com wrote, "the site also boasts of an expansive collection of archived star photos and videos", allowing fans to "trace changing hairlines and waistlines of their favorites performers over the years".

Chris Brown

Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, dancer, rapper and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. Having signed with Jive Records in 2004, Brown released his self-titled debut studio album the following year. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). With his first single "Run It!" peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100, Brown became the first male artist as a lead since Diddy in 1997 to have his debut single top the chart. His second album Exclusive (2007) spawned his second Hot 100 number one "Kiss Kiss", in addition to "With You" and "Forever". The album was also certified double platinum by the RIAA.

In 2009, Brown received much media attention after pleading guilty to felony assault of his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna; he was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community service. His third album Graffiti was released later that year, and included the top-twenty single "I Can Transform Ya". Brown's fourth album F.A.M.E. (2011) became his first to top the Billboard 200; it spawned the successful singles "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now", and "Beautiful People". F.A.M.E. earned Brown his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. His fifth album Fortune was released in 2012. However, after the release of Exclusive, Brown's albums have not been well received commercially or by music critics, with the exception of X, which received a normalized rating of 63. Brown's seventh studio album Royalty was released on December 18, 2015.

BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year.

The awards are presented annually, and are broadcast live on BET. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by artists, and some of the awards of more popular interest are presented in a televised ceremony.

Trophy

The BET Award Trophy was inspired by three words - aspire, ascend, achieve. The BET Award Trophy was designed by artist/sculptor Carlos "Mare139" Rodriguez. OutKast won the first BET award. In 2007, Society Awards, the New York firm who manufacturers the award, enhanced the quality of the trophy design using plated steel and black crystal.

Ratings

TV ratings (in millions):

List of ceremonies

The inaugural ceremony in 2001 was held at the Paris resort on the Las Vegas Strip. From 2002 to 2005, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood hosted the awards. From 2006 to 2012, the ceremonires have been held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The ceremony was moved to the Microsoft Theatre at L.A. Live in 2013.